Jonathan Ross raised excellent points in his column about Cameron Crazies last Wednesday. I disagree with a few, however, especially his concluding suggestion to eliminate tenting, an idea that has been gaining marginal support.
First, let's talk about time commitment. There are some popular misconceptions out there. People in the front of the tenting line do not have the "most spare time." I've been in the front of the tenting line with my friends and I can tell you we have full schedules like everyone else. However, we prioritize our interests differently. Some people choose to hang out with their frat brothers or blockmates, some go to sorority meetings, some play pick-up in Wilson. Everyone has 24 hours in a day. How you spend it is your choice. If students prioritize tenting for better seats higher than these other activities, they deserve better seats.
The time commitment to be in the front of the line is not burdensome. In reality, the amount of daytime spent in K-ville per week is about equal to what most other students spend watching TV. True, you have to spend one or two nights sleeping in a tent every two weeks, but that's not a big deal. All the theories that tenting takes away from studying etc. are bogus. Tenting becomes a burden the same way any other activity becomes a burden--when students mismanage their time and procrastinate. Tenting is not the problem--it's students who would have the same time-management problems inside and outside of K-ville.
If we scrap our system and go to a lottery or some other ticket system, which is what some are proposing, the most important thing we will lose is a tradition that is one of the few things that makes Duke basketball and Cameron Indoor Stadium special. We have an edge over Kentucky, Kansas, Maryland and UNC because of traditions like tenting and "being a Cameron Crazy." We need to keep that edge. Ending the first-come, first-served tradition puts us in company with those other schools, instead of alone at the top.
There's a better way to "fix the Cameron Crazies." Ross mentioned a few of these issues. Frankly, last year, Duke basketball, Duke Athletics Promotions, and especially Line Monitors and the upperclassmen leadership could have done a better job. This year, Duke Basketball and Duke Athletics Promotions have made the student body feel like part of our team. For example, some team members have stopped by to chat on their way to Cameron, and there have been more ads for games in The Chronicle. Based on the concern the Kryzyzewskis showed for the fans at the end of last year, that will certainly continue through the season.
Regarding line monitoring, Head Line Monitor Donald Wine is doing an excellent job, and you will see a drastic difference between this year and last year. Two years ago we had an online ticker for seats left in Cameron, but for some reason that didn't happen last year. Hopefully we'll get that back. We already have the "cheer sheets" back--a big step up from last year.
As far as upperclassmen leadership, last year we didn't have any. This year, I'm a junior, so here's some friendly advice:
Upperclassmen: come to games 20 minutes before tip-off. You can get a great seat without waiting in line. A little known fact is that students have gotten into the Maryland and UNC games five minutes before tip-off in the past two years. It happens. Don't be scared off by the long line, and don't feel pressured to get in line two hours before tip-off because there are a lot of people already there. There's no difference between the third to last row and the last row, so save those extra two hours.
Freshmen: Only get in line early if you want to be in the front two or three rows, or just to have fun in K-ville. The same thing goes for tenting. If you really want to be in the first or second row, tent early. Otherwise, put up your tent one week beforehand--tops. You'll definitely get a taste of K-ville and you'll be there for the pre-game parties. Furthermore, there's practically no difference between the fourth row and the tenth row, so once the line is at a decent size, or once there are five or so tents set up, don't bother getting in line for a better seat. All the seats are great. Lastly, and most importantly, being a Cameron Crazy isn't about getting in line early, it's about going to all games and cheering. Being in K-ville doesn't help our team win.
DSG: we don't need to "support" tenters with concerts and movie nights. If people feel like they need to be entertained, they shouldn't be in line. Sometimes, less is more. When we try to make K-ville bigger and better, we bring in people that don't really want to be there, and that hurts the tradition. We saw that last year. The rules were easier, more people got in line earlier, and the whining started. Donald's already made the rules tougher to ward off people who don't enjoy being in line. Getting rid of programming is the next step. Just make sure we don't freeze and don't wake us up in the middle of the night, and we'll take care of the fun.
The Crazies: Let's make every game like Detroit, except let's not wait for a big play to get really loud. Let's get loud first to help our team make big plays. When we're down is when we need to be loud the most. I've gone to every home game the past two years, and we've won every time. If we come to every game hungry, we can keep that streak alive.
Pasha Majdi is a Trinity junior.
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